SEATTLE (Ticker) -- The return of Tim Thomas helped the Milwaukee Bucks - at least in the first half.
Ronald Murray scored nine of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as the Seattle SuperSonics overcame the loss of Rashard Lewis, rallying for a 108-102 victory over the Bucks.
Thomas - Milwaukee's second-leading scorer - had missed nine straight games with a sprained ankle. He returned and scored 16 of his 19 points in the first half but struggled after halftime, when the Bucks managed just 41 points.
"I'm not all the way where I want to be, of course; by watching the game you can see that," he said. "I know the fellas need me."
Lewis, who averages a team-leading 20.3 points per game, left with a strained shoulder late in the third quarter. He did not return, but Murray and rookie Luke Ridnour picked up the slack.
"Losing Rashard as we did, the guys came together," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. "They played together, worked together, and found a way to make it work. It's very encouraging to see that and see that those guys found a way to get it done."
The SuperSonics tailed by as many as 18 in the first half but the game was tied with 10 minutes remaining before Seattle scored 10 of the next 12 points. Ridnour opened the spurt with a short jumper and capped it with an 18-footer for a 95-87 cushion with 5:49 remaining.
Murray had a jump shot and a dunk during the burst for the SuperSonics, who made 8-of-19 shots in the fourth quarter and held the Bucks to 7-of-24 shooting.
Vladimir Radmanovic scored seven of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and Ridnour finished with 14 for Seattle, which has won 15 of its last 17 home games against Milwaukee.
Rookie Richie Frahm scored a season-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench as the SuperSonics shot 51 percent (40-of-78) from the floor, including 9-of-22 3-pointers. They made 19-of-21 free throws.
Murray, Ridnour and Frahm led Seattle's bench, which outscored its counterparts, 58-18.
"The bench is the key to our success," Radmanovic said. "When the starting lineup is not doing well, you need somebody to come off the bench and give you a boost, to push it out on the floor and give you some energy. That's what happened tonight."
Michael Redd scored 27 points to lead five players in double figures for the Bucks, who have lost five of their six games on the road.
Redd scored 13 points in the first quarter as Milwaukee jumped out to a 39-23 lead, making 15 of its first 22 shots. The Bucks had their largest lead at 41-23 just 34 seconds into the second.
"We definitely blew a golden opportunity," Redd said. "It was just a tough loss. This was one of the games in the season where you are supposed to win it and we didn't to that."
